‘Do you think she’ll be able to do it?’ she asked her Swordian mentally after a moment of watching Kairi in silence. Aydan hummed again.
If her weapons are what I think they are, she will. The Swordian’s response made Karyme blink in surprise. Did he know something she did not? Before she could question Aydan further, a quick flare of magic and a muffled curse from Kairi had her snapping her head in the cocoa-haired teen’s direction. When had she look away? Karyme could not remember. Beside her, Stein raised an eyebrow at said teen, who giggled a bit sheepishly.
“Mystics are… rather childish,” Kairi began by way of explanation – which was not much of one. She huffed a little and settled herself on the ground, sitting cross-legged. “This will take a while.”
From the corner of her eyes, Karyme noted that Stein regarded the now-appearing-to-be-meditating teen silently for a few minutes before rolling his eyes and sighing. “Time to face the music,” he said, pushing off the wall and sauntering towards the door. The minor task accomplished resulted in the older duo exchanging glances, then laughing sheepishly in unison before Stein bolted in a mad dash around the training room with Seloria hot on his heels. Karyme retreated to a dark corner with her claymore summoned, brandishing it defensively as Yula stared her down the way a disappointed mother would.
The blonde noticed Kairi – who was supposedly meditating – crack an eye open, the girl trying her best not to laugh at Stein before resuming her meditation. Karyme mentally shrugged; she figured that if she was in Kairi’s place, she would find it amusing as well.
~*~
Rityu crossed his arms, pondering over the titbit of information he had gained from Lord Vermios as he marched towards the training room to get some practice done. Like his father, he knew of the ritual each and every Thyride had been forced to endure at some point of their lives, and Kairi’s reappearing seals did not strike him as particularly comforting.
In fact, from what the man told him, the seals were flaring brightly and almost angrily. “Almost as if trying to warn us,” Lord Vermios had said, before Rityu went on confirming the information he had sent, then walking off in search of his father. The Aitelorn middle-child scratched his head as he raked his brain for something that he may have missed.
He stopped short, however, upon noticing the door to the training room he had planned on utilizing was left open. Peering inside, Rityu was greeted with possibly the oddest scene ever to have now graced his clan’s household.
Seloria, one person he had thought would be able to remain calm and composed in a lot of situations, was chasing his younger brother around the room with her scythe swinging wildly. Stein in a very un-Stein-like manner, was running away and shouting constant apologies, though for what he did not know. Yula was lecturing the Doyle heiress over something-or-other, and Karyme herself was hiding behind her massive weapon. Kairi – silly, ridiculous Kairi, who gave her the idea of leaving the infirmary? – was in the middle of the room, seemingly meditating and not-really oblivious to the happenings about.
“…what’s going on?” he finally decided to ask after five full minutes of staring. Stein explained the situation to him – all the while running around the room and only talking when he passed him, making one very otherwise-short explanation a lengthy one. Karyme shot him a pleading look – one he never thought would appear on the Doyle heiress’ face. Rityu stared for another minute – Karyme looked about ready to cry, oddly enough – and sighed, walking in and poking his mother’s shoulder.
“Mother, I think she gets it already. Have pity on the guest.”
As he expected, his mother whipped around and stared him down – being on the receiving end of the Healer’s stares one too many times, he’d grown somewhat immune to it – and he raised an eyebrow. “Mother,” he tried again, “they’re teens. Rule-breaking is bound to be one of their priorities. Remember when Phiol and I-“
“Okay, I get your point,” Yula snapped – there was that affectionate undertone in it, so Rityu was not all too worried – and rolled her eyes. She did not look all too convinced at letting them go, however. The middle Aitelorn son shrugged.
“Kairi’s sitting down, so that can be counted as resting, don’t you think?” he ventured. Yula turned to look at Kairi (who appeared to really be meditating now, considering the fact she stopped peeking at the room’s situation) and sighed, nodding before glancing over at her youngest and allowing a small smirk to form on her lips. Karyme decided she’d best hide behind both her claymore and Rityu, for that smirk on Yula’s face was disturbing.
“Ah well… let’s let Stein run for his life even more now, shall we?” The sentence was spoken in such a sweet tone that Rityu nearly missed the sadistic gleam in his mother’s eyes. He slapped a hand to his forehead, groaning.
‘Good luck, little bro,’ he thought, inching himself (and subsequently, Karyme) closer to the corner. ‘I don’t want to be in your shoes right now.’
~*~
It took her a while but once she managed to concentrate, Kairi completely lost track of what was happening in the training room. Mystics were within her psyche, she knew, but they felt… out of reach. It was frustrating.
We’re right here, she heard them call out to her countless times. But whenever she reached out to grasp them, they slipped through her fingers rather tauntingly. It was annoying. Very, very annoying. Kairi swore she had yet to feel such an amount of frustration since she was first given Mystics to wield…
…Wait a minute…
Was that what she was supposed to do? Summon them as if she had never summoned Mystics before? That realization seemed to bring the gap between her and her weapons closer, and inwardly, Kairi smirked.
We’re right here, they called again. Instead of reaching out to grasp them like she did before, the cocoa-haired teen remained as she was. As if surprised, Mystics recoiled before calling for her again, moving towards her at the same time. This time, Kairi reached out – but not as fast as she did the many times before. Slowly, almost hesitatingly, she reached for her weapons and this time, they did not slip from her grasp.
Welcome back, mistress, the voice (or perhaps it should be ‘voices’?) of Mystics greeted her. Welcome back.
In the material world, Kairi smiled. ‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘I’m right here.’
~*~
“I got them!”
‘I have to thank that girl for her awesome sense of timing later,’ Stein thought, flopping onto the ground tiredly as Kairi jumped up from her sitting position. She blinked rather innocently at both her sister and the Aitelorn matriarch, smiling and tilting her head to one side.
Seloria promptly marched up to her sister. “Who gave you the smart idea of running out of the infirmary?” she asked, an eyebrow quirked in a manner Stein thought only mothers could do -- Yula probably gave Seloria lessons.
Kairi’s answer was innocently-phrased: “No one.” Stein did not have to look up to see the innocent smile he knew she had on her face. Before anyone could say anything else, Phiol popped his head into the room.
“Ah, that’s great. You’re both in the same place,” Phiol said, stepping in. He raised an eyebrow at the room’s occupants, but said nothing about them. “Stein, Kairi,” the aforementioned duo either nodded or raised an eyebrow, “Father wants to meet you both in his study.”
Kairi nodded and walked over to him, offering a hand to pull him up – which he accepted quite gratefully. “Oh, and he says he wants you both there in five minutes,” Phiol added, causing Stein to groan and Kairi to pat his arm sympathetically.
“…race you,” the cocoa-haired teen said simply. Darn her, did she not know he was incapable of turning down a challenge?
…Wait, she did know.
Stein growled. “You’re going down,” he said. Kairi grinned.
“We’ll see,” she answered easily. Both took down the hallway at an unknown signal… and knocked Phiol aside as they went. The “sorry” they tossed over their shoulders had Phiol and Rityu laughing, for reasons the remaining females present did not know nor understand.
~*~
“I reached first!”
“No, I did!”
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
Nerion’s attempt at appearing strict was failing, he knew – his lips were threatening to split into a small, amused smile. Abel was already openly laughing beside him at the duo’s antics. He cleared his throat to get their attention, and the duo turned to him rather sheepishly.
“Now that that’s settled,” Nerion said, his tone amused – was it possible for anyone to be more sheepish than they already were? – as Abel calmed his laughter. “We just got word that I’yn would be targeted next.”
Kairi’s reaction was almost instantaneous. “Isn’t that…?” she questioned, frowning. Nerion nodded, pausing to shift through several folders that littered the table he sat behind. He really did not want to send the two youngest under his command out on what he was sure to be a ruthless, brutal battle, but he did not have a choice. Abel needed Rityu, he was sure, and both Phiol and Seloria needed to stay within Destila for the time being – they could not afford being weak.
“I’m dispatching you both,” he said, tossing two similar folders in the air – he felt a surge of pride when the duo in front of him slipped on their poker faces with surprising ease, snatching the folders from mid-air without any hesitation.
Kairi was definitely a speed-reader, judging from how quickly her eyes darted across the pages. Stein went a little bit slower, taking the time to note details Kairi would have missed at the speed she read. Both glanced up a moment later, exchanging looks before turning their attentions back to the two leaders before them.
“They plan to get to I’yn from Jajya?” Kairi’s tone was rather devoid of emotion. Stein smacked her upside the head and she turned and pouted. Nerion resisted the urge to laugh – trust Stein to get Kairi back to acting normal.
“From the looks of it, yes,” Nerion said instead, leaning back on his chair. “I know this is your first mission, but there is no room for failure. We have talked to Patricius and Beyza; they will be departing for their country within the next 48 hours. You both are to leave within the next 18 hours.”
“Normal travel to I’yn takes a day and a half, with half a day on ship,” Stein muttered, thinking. “Which means Kairi and I have around 5 hours for rest and one hour preparation before heading off. Considering our speed and elemental affiliation, we could reach the docks within 12 hours.”
Abel nodded. “When you reach I’yn, you are expected to explore the area, note down areas that are susceptible to attacks and areas that could be converted for healing purposes. Also, keep an eye out for places that would be targeted for surprise attacks. More people will be deployed at the same time the Doyles’ are ready to leave.”
Stein nodded; Nerion could see the gears turning in his head. Kairi appeared to be that bit uncomfortable with the idea, but she nodded anyway. Rolling his eyes, Stein smacked the younger teen upside the head again. Kairi growled lowly, but turned to Nerion and Abel with a smile which appeared to be far too sweet.
“If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave,” she said ever-so sweetly, and Stein had enough common sense to start running. Nerion saw that Kairi allowed Stein that little two to three second head-start – she was just that much faster in comparison – while she bowed her leave before turning and proceeded to chase Stein around the castle.
“Well,” Abel said after a moment, “with those two around, the castle is never boring, huh?”
Nerion rolled his eyes and nodded.
~*~
Seloria was not sure if she was proud of her sister’s calm, if not full, acceptance of her first mission. “I’ll be fine,” she insisted while packing – just two changes of clothes; she needed to travel light. “Don’t worry so much.”
“I’ll be fine when you’re back here,” she told the younger Thyride instead, her fingers fiddling with the already-worn string of her eye patch. Kairi finished packing, shoving her sling bag to a corner on her bed before jumping off it and landing neatly on Seloria’s.
“You worry too much,” the younger teased with a grin. “And stop fiddling with the string, you’ll snap it. It’s brittle enough as it is.”
Kairi was right, Seloria realized. She had traded her more fancy-looking eye patches for a standard medical eye patch when helping out with the repair works. She sighed and sat on the bed, and Kairi, as if understanding the elder’s hesitance, scooted closer to her, resting her head on the other’s shoulder.
“I’m your sister; it’s in the job description to worry,” Seloria answered, and Kairi grinned.
“What’s in the job description for being Phiol’s personal helper, then?”
“Oh, the usual – whack him on the head if he starts to slack off, make sure he remembers to eat… things like that.”
“Ah, so you’re like his mum,” the cocoa-haired teen affirmed in mock-wise tone. Seloria stared at her blankly for a moment before the sisters exploded into giggles.
~*~
Karyme found the Duo (as she had gotten to calling Kairi and Stein in her head – the capital included) in possibly the earliest hour she had ever woken up (really, who in their right mind would be awake at five in the morning?). Said Duo were performing some stretches, chatting about which route would allow them to reach their destination fastest. Neither of the Duo’s siblings were there, nor were the Aitelorn patriarch and matriarch, but Karyme guessed the siblings were forced to sleep, and Yula was the one forcing the siblings to sleep in the first place. As for the Aitelorn patriarch, Karyme spotted Nerion in what-looked-like a study room, probably going through the mission parameters again before he met up with the Duo.
“I say we take the south route,” Stein was saying when she walked up to them. Was it just her, or were the bodyguards that came with her parents all staring at the Duo rather sceptically?
“Wouldn’t cutting through the west route be faster? We’re on a rather tight time limit.” Kairi asked, still stretching as she waved at her. Karyme idly waved back as she came to a stop beside them.
“Nah, the west route’s too crowded,” Stein replied, nodding his head in greeting. “It’s a common trade route now, so our best bet would be to stick to the south route, or cut between the east and north routes. Cutting between routes might cost us some time, though, considering the fact that the north route is another common trade route.”
Kairi hummed in thought. “What about cutting between the south and east routes? Oh, oh wait. The area around the east route is developing, isn’t it?”
“You got it,” Stein confirmed, before turning his attention to Karyme, who was feeling rather bemused. “Are you planning to join us in our half-day dash to the docks?” he asked rather cheekily, and Kairi rolled her eyes.
“No,” Karyme answered, “but I’d like to point out that there are bandits wandering the south route right now. We had a rather short run-in with them on our way here.”
“Ah,” Kairi said, “in which they got served.” Stein’s sudden coughing fit sounded suspiciously like laughter, but Karyme did not call him on it, feeling rather amused by the…‘eloquent’… manner the younger female put it.
Feeling rather cheeky herself, she gave them a mock-bow (Kairi began giggling, and Stein did not bother hiding his amusement). “Why yes. By yours truly,” she said. “I’ll be doing the same thing every time I travel, so be sure to not miss it.”
“Karyme – is it all right if I called you that?” At her nod, Kairi continued. “You’re too awesome for the trade business. Please don’t go into that line of work.”
Catching on to the cocoa-haired teen’s line of thought, Karyme gave a little melodramatic sigh. “Alas,” she moaned, still rather melodramatic, “I’m an only child. If my parents would grace me with a younger sibling, however…” Stein was rolling on the ground with laughter by then.
“I see being up at five in the morning has made you rather amusing, young Karyme,” Nerion’s voice snapped Stein out of his laughing fit, both him and Kairi straightening. Karyme turned and grinned at the Aitelorn patriarch.
“I’ve been told I’m hopeless without a cup of coffee in the morning,” she supplied the not-so helpful information in a very helpful tone. Kairi sniggered. Nerion allowed a small smile.
“I’m sure of it,” he told her, refocusing his attention to his son and charge soon after. “Are you two ready?”
Both of them slid their poker faces on at the tone used. Stein nodded, and Kairi uttered an affirmative. “I trust all required information has been memorized?” Another affirmative. “You both know your objectives. Mistakes on your first mission are fine, but do not do anything that would cost someone their life. Secure I’yn. Failure to do so is not an option.”
The Duo snapped some kind of salutation then; right hand fisted above where their hearts would be, heads bowed slightly. “Affirmative, sir.”
Nerion nodded. “Well then. Be off, and may the Lords be with you.” The Duo replied in kind (“And may you and yours be blessed.”) before turning around. Behind her, Karyme could tell several of her bodyguards were going to spring into action.
So she turned around. “And what do you lot think you’re doing?” she asked, her tone and expression betraying nothing of her thoughts. The Duo turned to look at her at the tone she used, confused.
“My apologies, Miss Doyle,” one spoke, “but we do not believe that two children will be of much help for our country. We would leave with them.”
Before the Doyle heiress could say anything, Stein scoffed, and Kairi tried her best to not laugh in her family’s bodyguards’ faces. “Follow us? Seriously?” he said, his tone one of disbelief. “If speed is not what you’re trained in, don’t bother. You won’t be able to keep up.”
“If we could reach port town Fiontar – it’s more than 500 kilometres away, for your information – in an hour, what makes you think you could keep up with us?” Kairi added, an eyebrow raised. “And you do realize you’re talking to the person who kept Cain at bay when he put his Draining Barrier up, right?”
Karyme turned to Nerion, who appeared to be amused. “Fiontar in an hour? Seriously?” she asked, bemused. Nerion shrugged. “It was actually 54 minutes 19 seconds for Kairi, and 55 minutes, 54 seconds for Stein. Kairi’s bound to be faster since she’s on a full speed-increase training scheme. And as for helping… they are more than capable. I’ve trained them personally on war tactics.”
“So,” Stein turned back to the bodyguards, who shifted rather uncomfortably at those bits of information, “still coming with us?”
Kairi had rolled her eyes and turned to Stein, poking him on the shoulder to get his attention. “Race you,” she said with a grin, a competitive glint in her eyes.
Stein grinned, his eyes echoing her competitiveness. “Oh you are so going down,” he drawled, and the youngest Thyride raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see about that,” she said simply, popping her neck.
Nerion sighed. “On my count,” he said, and the Duo slung their sling bags across their shoulders. “Begin.”
Karyme did not bother hiding her amazement. All she did was blink and they were already jumping over the castle’s walls – and the walls were at least 500 metres away from where they had been standing. “Wow,” she whispered, then turned to the shell-shocked bodyguards.
“Still plan on following them?” she asked before sauntering back into the castle. Bed was calling out to her for another two hours or so of sleep.
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